


I'll try hard not to give in / Batten down to fare this wind

by Iamprongsie



Series: Star Wars Modern AU [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: M/M, Misgendering, Poor Rex oh my god, Pre Cody/Rex, Pre-Relationship, Team as Family, Title from Saint Simon (the Shins aka the most Cody band ever for some reason), Trans Rex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-23
Updated: 2020-07-23
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:21:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,683
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25464637
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Iamprongsie/pseuds/Iamprongsie
Summary: Rex sighs. Anakin looks like he’s about to spit fire.“Let’s just go,” he says, hoping to de-escalate the whole thing. “Come on, Anakin.”
Relationships: CC-2224 | Cody & CT-7567 | Rex, CT-7567 | Rex & Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi/Anakin Skywalker, Padmé Amidala/Obi-Wan Kenobi/Anakin Skywalker (background)
Series: Star Wars Modern AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1233821
Comments: 2
Kudos: 68





	I'll try hard not to give in / Batten down to fare this wind

“Alright, Obi-Wan wanted wine,” Rex says, reading off the hastily scrawled list. “Cider for me and Cody because we’re classy, and whatever the fuck sort of drinks you want.”

“I might just get cider as well,” Anakin says, eyeing the prices of the cruisers. “There’s nothing good on special.” 

“Black cruisers are on special.” Rex grabs a six pack of cider. Anakin shudders. 

“Never again.” 

“Is that because you got so pissed on them you tried to carbonate vodka with Obi-Wan’s soda stream?”

Anakin groans. “One, you were in on that, and two, yes. Obviously.”

“You have no proof I was in on that,” Rex shoots back, leaving the coolroom. 

Anakin smirks. “Cody took photos.”

“I can get rid of the film.” Rex says. Anakin rolls his eyes. 

“Sure, Fett.” 

Rex passes the cider to Anakin and takes a bottle of moscato out of the fridge. “Are you sure you don’t want black cruisers?” 

“Get fucked,” his friend says, and Rex snickers. 

“I’ll take that as a no,” he says, grabbing another bottle. It’s only $6, which is very much in line with their limited budget, so it’s worth it.

They queue up to pay, ID’s out and at the ready. Of course, because Rex’s life is an actual trash fire, this is where shit goes wrong. 

“ID please,” the bored guy on the counter says. Anakin holds out his license, Rex holds out his uni ID. The guy takes them and examines them, then hands Anakin’s back. 

“Sorry, I can’t serve you tonight,” he says. 

“What? Why not?” Anakin asks hotly. Rex just looks confused.

“I can’t take school ID,” the cashier says. 

“That’s a uni ID,” Rex says, voice cracking. “It’s got my date of birth on it, look.”

“Sorry ma’am,” aaand there it is. Fucking brilliant. “I can’t serve anyone with any sort of educational ID. It’s in our license.”

Rex sighs. Anakin looks like he’s about to spit fire. 

“He’s a _man_ ,” Anakin says, and Rex grabs his friend’s arm. The cashier just takes their drinks away. 

“Let’s just go,” he says, hoping to de-escalate the whole thing. “Come on, Anakin.”

Rex starts walking, hoping to make it to the car before Anakin goes off. Anakin follows, stuffing his wallet into his jacket in disgust. 

“We’re never going back there, that cashier was so rude, oh my _god_ ,” he says, waving his arms in the air. “You can’t just go around misgendering people and it clearly says you’re of age there! Why can’t he see that?”

“It’s fine,” Rex says, sticking his hands into his hoodie to warm them up. “Let’s just go home.”

The drive back into town is stilted - Rex isn’t up for much conversation and Anakin’s still clearly annoyed. The radio’s on, turned down low and playing Alphaville. 

“I’m sorry we got turned away,” Rex says, looking out of the window rather than look at his friend’s patented concerned face. 

“No, Rex, I’m sorry he said that to you,” Anakin says, gentleness in his voice. “We can just send Obi-Wan out for drinks, if you want.”

“That’s a good idea,” he responds, still looking out the window.

“Have you thought about getting your license yet?” Anakin asks. Rex sighs. 

“I’ve thought about it,” he says cagily, not wanting to express the true reasons for waiting to get his license. “I might wait until we’ve graduated though, storing a car in the city’s a bit hard.”

“But how are you going to get around once you move out of the city?” 

“Public transport?”

Anakin scoffs. “You hate Adelaide Metro.”

“Doesn’t mean I can’t get around the city in decent time,” Rex says, and that’s the end of that. 

They get back to their dorm and Anakin barges into Obi-Wan and Cody’s room, throwing his keys onto Cody’s bed and dumping his jacket on top of the minifridge. 

“Well, we’re never going to the St Peters Dan Murphy’s again,” Anakin says grumpily, throwing himself onto Obi-Wan’s bed and taking up his hand of cards again. 

“Why?” Obi-Wan asks. Rex dumps his hoodie on top of Anakin’s head and twists his shoulders, still unused to the feeling of no binder under his shirt after years and years of it. 

“Because the cashier there is a massive cunt who won’t take uni IDs and misgenders people, that’s why,” Anakin says, and Cody puts his hand down with a murderous look in his eye. Rex sighs. 

“Seriously, it’s fine, he was just being a dick. I’m fine,” he says, sitting on the floor next to Cody and taking a handful of chips. 

“That’s so inappropriate,” Cody says. “It’s nineteen ninety-fucking- _six_ , for fuck’s sake.”

“Just _leave_ it,” Rex snaps, tired of it all. “He was a dick, I’m used to it, I’m fine.”

He leans into Cody, resisting the urge to curl up into a ball. He’s not usually that touchy with him, especially given his massive crush that he’s pretty sure Cody already knows about it, but he’s tired and cranky and he’s craving physical contact. Cody puts his hand up and runs it through Rex’s hair, which calms him a bit. 

“If you’re sure,” Obi-Wan says, looking every inch like the mum friend. Rex waves him off. 

“I’ll be alright,” he mumbles. Cody pulls him closer and Rex goes willingly, face turning red. 

“Do we still want drinks?” Anakin says, rolling over and throwing Rex’s hoodie over to Cody’s bed. 

“Of course,” Rex says. “I’d like nothing more than to get pissed and forget this happened.” 

Anakin smiles weakly. “I’ll pay for yours,” he says, and Rex is too over it to even bother arguing. Besides, he’s not going to say no to free alcohol, bad mood or no. “Come on Obi-Wan, we’re going to the BWS in Rundle.”

“Oh god, not that place,” Obi-Wan says, reluctantly getting up off the floor and looking for his coat. He ends up taking Anakin’s jacket off the fridge, so Anakin steals Rex’s hoodie. “It’s too expensive and it’s full of drunks, especially on Saturdays.”

“It’s fine,” Anakin says. “Besides, it’s closer, so we can walk.” He grabs his boyfriend’s hand and half drags him out of the room, Obi-Wan lightly protesting. 

Once the door’s shut, Cody looks down at Rex. “Are you really ok?” he asks, and Rex pulls away, sitting up straight. 

“I’ll be alright,” he mutters. “I’m used to it, unfortunately.”

“Not what I asked,” Cody says, and Rex looks up into his friend’s eyes. 

“I’m just tired of it,” he says, halfway on the verge of tears. “I want my licence, but I don’t want a big fat F on it that just tells everyone. It was hard enough in high school, and now I pass well enough I don’t want to give people that option again.”

“Can’t you change your marker on your birth certificate?” Cody asks gently, taking Rex’s hand and pulling him close again. 

Rex shakes his head. “You have to have bottom surgery to change it, and I just don’t want that right now. Top was bad enough. It’s really expensive as well, and I don’t think medicare’s gonna cover it. I’m lucky I can still get T on medicare, I don’t wanna stretch it.”

Cody nods and holds him close, and Rex can feel his heartbeat. It’s nice, being so close, even if the circumstances are a bit shitty. 

They sit in silence for a few minutes while Rex tries to stop the tears trying to stream down his face, eventually giving up. Cody passes him tissues and pets his hair, and Rex feels himself calming down in his friend’s arms. 

“Alright now?” Cody asks gently, and his phone beeps. Rex nods, and Cody kisses the top of his head. “Obi-Wan says they’re bringing pizza back as well, if you’re hungry. They’re gonna be a few minutes, though.”

“Gotcha,” Rex says, not wanting to leave his nice safe spot. 

Cody stands up and scrabbles around for his laptop, accidentally unplugging it from the dialup cord in the process. “Fuck.”

“What are you doing?” Rex asks as Cody gives up and sits at his desk, carefully plugging the ethernet back in. 

“Checking something I thought I saw the other day,” Cody says, typing something into the search bar. “Come on, for fuck’s sake- why is the internet so slow here?”

“Probably because we’re in a dead spot, it’s a Saturday night, and whoever’s not out is probably on the internet?” Rex asks, sitting down on the end of Cody’s bed and looking at the computer screen. The search finally goes through, and Rex’s heart lifts. 

“See?” Cody says, turning the laptop screen so Rex can see it better. “They’re taking gender markers off driving licenses by next year.”

“That’s great!” Rex says, filled with a wave of relief. Just five more months, then he can get his licence and get some more fucking independence. “Thanks for showing me that, that’s made me feel a lot better.”

“You’re welcome,” Cody replies, then moves around to sit with Rex on the bed. “You’ll be alright,” he says, and Rex pulls him into a hug. They stay there until Anakin and Obi-Wan get back, and reluctantly sit back on the floor when they hear the door rattling. 

“We’re back,” Anakin says cheerfully, dumping the pizza on the floor and pulling Rex’s hoodie off. 

“I noticed,” Cody says, blatantly looking at Obi-Wan’s cards. Obi-Wan flicks him in the head as he walks past, and Cody gives him the finger. 

“You better not stretch the neck of that out with your fat head,” Rex says, and Anakin smirks at him. 

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” he says. 

Obi-Wan sits down and cracks open a bottle of wine, not even bothering with a glass. Anakin passes ciders around to the rest of them, and Rex takes one gratefully. It’s the nice brand, which he never usually buys because it’s pretty pricy. 

“You feeling better now?” Anakin asks, sitting down and grabbing a pizza slice. Rex reluctantly sits up and takes his own food. 

“I’m alright,” he says, and he means it.

**Author's Note:**

> I got this idea on the bus after shotgunning a fuckin massive iced coffee at 3pm (sidenote do not do this you will hear colours) and had to write it down adjklfjadfsdjlk 
> 
> also the Dan's story is real me and my friend got kicked out of our local wine shop bc I still had my old high school ID instead of a driver's license (bc I can walk p much anywhere in my town and the city's a bus ride away so what's the point) and they won't serve you with educational ID in there - we had to get her dad to go in and buy us wine 
> 
> feel free to come visit my [Tumblr!](https://pidgeonkatie.tumblr.com)


End file.
